BTS' j-hope Calls J. Cole His 'GOAT' on New Album

During a birthday livestream, BTS' j-hope congratulated J. Cole on new album "The Fall-Off," calling it "crazy" and declaring the rapper his "GOAT" forever.

BTS member j-hope has publicly declared his longtime admiration for J. Cole, congratulating the rapper on his new album "The Fall-Off" during a recent birthday livestream on Weverse. The February 18 stream, which coincided with j-hope's birthday, featured a heartfelt shout-out to his friend and collaborator.

"Congrats on the album, Cole hyung," j-hope told the camera, using the Korean honorific for an older brother figure. "Album went crazy for real! You will always be my GOAT. Thank you, brother. Much love to you."

1. Cole released "The Fall-Off" on February 6, 2026, his seventh and self-proclaimed final studio album. The ambitious double-disc project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and charted 21 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, bringing Cole's career total entries to 111 making him just the 22nd artist to surpass 100 charting songs . Cole has indicated this album represents a closing chapter, stating he has "no interest in releasing any more 'J. Cole' albums" and will shift focus to producing.

The two artists share a deep musical history. They first collaborated on the 2023 single "On the Street," which marked j-hope's final release before beginning military service. Their connection dates back even further j-hope has been a fan since his youth, referencing Cole's early projects in BTS' 2014 song "Hip Hop Lover." They first met at Lollapalooza in 2022, where both were headliners.

During the "On the Street" music video filming in New York, j-hope gushed about working with his longtime idol: "When I started listening to music, the first artist I listened to was J. Cole. Being able to work with J. Cole after 10 years as a fan, I'm so happy. It's just all new and I still can't believe it.”

The mutual respect continues as BTS prepares to release its own album "Arirang" on March 20, following the members' completion of military service.